The Oddballs
by lizzle333
Summary: After a fire in a nuclear plant, Lovino is left with some extraordinarily weird powers. The one who saved him from the fire is a has-been superhero, Antonio Carriendo. Together they are assigned to create a superhero team to protect the earth from future alien invasions, but what they don't know is that it's already here.
1. Chapter 1

"Are you scared? I knew you were a wimp!" mocked Adam, the fat bully from my school.

"I am not! Just watch me! I'm going to go in!" I replied.

Adam and his buddies smiled and mocked me some more as I walked into the abandoned nuclear plant. I took a deep breath and calmed myself down as I walked around. There was little lighting, making the generators look like shadow figures coming to get me. My amber eyes scanned nervously over the room. There were generators connected to a bunch of pipes. I stood in front of a control panel. My hands ghosted over the buttons, my olive skin barely visible in the dark. There was a squeak and I heard scuffling behind me. In one quick movement I turned around. I let out a deep breathe, it was just a rat. Without thinking I sat back on the control panel.

"Shit!" I yelled as the room lit up.

I watched, frozen to my spot, as the nuclear plant tried to start up again. However, it couldn't. The system was so old that it began failing. Sparks lit up the room but I couldn't run. I was stuck. Soon the generators caught fire and for once I could move. I turned and ran towards the exit, but I was too slow. The wall collapsed and I was trapped. I frantically searched for another way out, but my lungs were burning as I breathed in more smoke. Soon I felt light headed and could barely walk. I coughed as I fell to my knees, unable to breath. I fell to the floor. This was it. I was going to die. I felt tears prick at my eyes from the smoke. The last thing I remember before I passed out was green. It was a pretty green. Like emeralds and it reminded me of summer, of home, of happiness. After that, it was black.

...

What happened? Oh that's right, the fire. I heard voices and the soft hum of machines. Is this heaven? Nah, it has to be hell. I groaned as I opened my eyes. I looked at my surroundings. I was on a bed, covered in blanket, needles and wires hooked up to me. The room was white, minus the red chair in the corner. I lifted my head, and watched as people scurried about the room, paying no mind to me. Well, the afterlife isn't that different from real life I guess.

I laid my head back down in exasperation, staring thoughtlessly at the blank ceiling. There was really nothing for me to do. I was kinda tied down to the bed via the massive amount of wires connected to my body. Well, I guess hell would be worse but heaven would be better so I must still be alive. But how? There was no one who could get in to save me. Wouldn't I have suffocated and then burned? I feel fine though. Maybe that's just modern medicine. It must be the morphine.

I looked up again, suddenly aware of a thirst that had been creeping up on me.

"Can I have some water? Doesn't anyone here know about simple hospitality?" I asked to the people in the room.

All eyes turned on me, and then in a second I was overwhelmed by everyone at my bed side.

"What are his vitals?" A man, probably the main doctor, demanded.

A nurse replied with numbers and acronyms that were lost on me. There was some more needle poking and wired attaching before everyone finally stopped touching me.

"Jesus Christ! Can't I get some space!" I complained.

"Doctor it's amazing. His wounds have completely healed." Said a nurse.

"Hmm. He might be..." The doctor trailed off, but the nurse seemed to understand.

"What's going on? Where's my family?" I asked.

"Mr. Vargas we've informed your family of your situation but they can not come in to visit until you leave." The doctor replied.

"What? Why? What kind of lame as joke is this?"

"This is not a joke. You are in a very secure government base and civilians are not allowed."

"Well then let me go home!"

"We cannot allow you to until we are sure"

"Sure of what?! I'm fine! Let me fucking leave already!"

I felt my face go red with rage and my whole body felt like it was on fire. The doctor looked surprised and I looked down at myself. I was in flames.

"Why am I on fire?!" I shrieked, waving my arms to try and get it to stop.

"Lovino calm down, your power is clearly linked to your emotions." The doctor said.

"Like hell I'm going to calm down! I am on fire!" The doctor sighed and walked over to the wall.

Before I knew it I was cool again and not on fire. He used the fucking fire extinguisher. As I wiped foam off my body the doctor said, "Hmm, you haven't sustained any burns."

"What the fuck was that?!" I yelled.

Suddenly, the door opened and man walked in. I felt like I knew him from somewhere. He was tall, muscular, tan, had shaggy brown hair and bright emerald eyes that sparkled as he grinned.

"Hola. Looks like sleeping beauty is up." The man said.

"Don't fucking call me that asshole!" I yelled, lighting myself on fire again.

"I would prefer of you didn't upset the patient Antonio." The doctor said.

"Lo siento!" The man replied, giving an apologetic smile that immediately cooled me down.

I looked away from the man, not completely sure why. Instead I looked at the extremely burned bed I was sitting on.

"Now, Mr. Vargas, this is Antonio. He saved you from the fire." The doctor said.

I looked up at the man, giving him an expression mixed with wonder, gratitude, and my usual resentment.

"How?" I asked.

Antonio smiled nervously and said "How about just a 'thank you' for now."

I furrowed my eyebrows. He was hiding something and I had to find out what. Antonio had become distracted by talking to the doctor after I hadn't responded. All of a sudden, I had a plan. A plan to find out his secret. Sure, it wasn't very smart, but I could try. I looked at my hand and concentrated hard. I managed to light a fireball in my hand. I smirked before I threw it at Antonio. However, it stopped short, and floated in the air before dying out.

"Lovino, it would be nice if you didn't throw fire balls at Antonio." The doctor said exasperated.

I stuck my tongue out at him and flicked a fire ball that barely missed his left ear. It hit the back wall and left a scorch mark.

"I'll leave him to you." The doctor said to Antonio before hurrying out of the room.

I looked Antonio up and down before saying "So what's the deal with you. You got mind control or something?"

"Well telepathy is the preferred term."

I rolled my eyes, secretly stealing a glance at his smile again.

"So what's so bad about it?" I asked.

"It...um...it can kill."

"Okkaaayyy, but it saved me so everyone's happy right?"

"You're right Lovi! It did help you!" He said, giving me a hug.

"Get off me! And don't call me that!"

I lit my fingertips on fire to get him off me. It worked quite effectively.

"Ouch. Lovi, that hurt."

"Don't call me that!"

"But it's so cute!" I blushed and, consequently, lit myself on fire again.

"Whoops." Antonio said before he made a dash for the door.

"Get back here you idiot!" I screamed as I ripped the wires and needles from my body and ran after Antonio.

I threw a fire ball down the hallway, which was stopped by Antonio's telepathy. I ran after him, leaving a trail of scorch marks behind me. After a while I had lost him and stopped to catch my breath. I stepped into a nearby room. It was a computer lab and had your typical computers lined up in a row. I sat at one and turned it on. I pulled up Google and typed in "Antonio." "Antonio Carriendo" was the first thing to come up so I clicked it.

"Well there's a picture of him. That's promising." I said to myself.

I read down the article. It was about the "Bad Touch Trio," a band of superheroes that Antonio was apparently a part of.

"Hmm. I remember them. I thought they all died though." I said.

I read down the article some more. I wasn't completely wrong. Two of them died. Antonio didn't. The article said that their hearts exploded from an unknown source. I squinted my eyed. No one's heart explodes for no fucking reason, and I think I know who's fault it is. That's why he didn't like his power. He must not have been able to control it, right? I don't know why, but I really didn't want this to be purposeful. I wanted it to be an accident.

"I have to find him." I turned of the power and left the room.

Luckily, I didn't have to search far to find Antonio. He was right outside the room.

"How did you find me?" I asked.

"You weren't exactly stealthy about it." Antonio replied, gesturing to the scorch marks on the floor.

"Whoops."

"Come on, you have to go back to you room."

"No wait, I need to talk to you!"

"Okay, okay I'm listening. Just don't set me on fire"

I raised my eyebrow.

"Not funny?" He asked.

I shook my head before saying "Please tell me it was an accident."

"Lovi I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do!" I was on fire again, and my tears were being evaporated, thank The Lord.

"It was, but I doesn't change that it happened. They're still dead. I still killed my best friends."

My flames died. I was relieved. So he wasn't a purposeful killer. I could live with accidental. Wait, why did I care?! Ugh, now that asshole has me acting all emotional. He must be using his crazy mind power on me. That has to be it.

"I'm okay with that." I said.

"Really?" Antonio asked.

"Yeah. Plus you saved my life, so it works out."

For the first time in a while, I smiled.

"Antonio! Lovino! Get back to the room now!" Bellowed the doctor, who was down the hallway.

"Yeah, yeah." I said as I began walking back to my room, not missing Antonio's smile.


	2. Chapter 2

I looked out at the control room. People ran from station to station, reporting findings and what not. After being lectured by the doctor, it was clear that I was fine since I was gallivanting through the halls, so I was finally aloud to be part of the real world. If you would consider this situation real. Well, if you were the Black Widow or an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., sure, this was real. But for me, Lovino Vargas, I had been officially shipped off to the lunatic asylum.

"Lovino! Pay attention!" The doctor yelled.

"I am!" I replied.

"Where are we?"

"Area 51."

I internally laughed at my joke.

"No, this is Area 48. There is a difference."

"Well excuse me."

I rolled my eyes as the doctor continued.

"Recently we have managed to survive the invasion of the Pictonians, but they withdrew. If they had been serious about conquering us, we would have surely been conquered. Which means we need a new line of defense. That's where you come in, Antonio. I want you to make a team a superheroes, starting with Lovino. His grandfather already consented."

"Of course he fucking did. That little asshole." I said.

"It's not all bad Lovi. You get to hang out with me!" Antonio said.

"That's supposed to make it all better?"

"Yeah!"

Antonio smiled and I quickly looked away.

"So I'll leave it to you two! Have fun!" The doctor said as left the room, closing the door just before I threw a fire ball.

"Damn, he got away." I said.

"Lovi, that's not nice." Antonio pouted.

"Do I look like a nice person?"

"I don't know, but your pretty cute!"

I blushed and burst into flames, slightly burning Antonio in the process, but I didn't want to hurt him too bad.

"You're an asshole." I said.

Antonio pouted.

"Well, do you happen to know any superheroes?" Antonio asked after a period of silence.

"Like hell- wait, I just might. Let me make a call." I said as I walked over to the phone on the wall.

If I was right, she could do some pretty freaky stuff. I dialed the number quickly.

"Hello?" Came a voice on the other end.

"Elizabeta?"

"Yeah?"

"Hey, this is Lovino."

"Lovino! It's been a while. Why the call?"

"Um, can you still do the weird see through thingy?"

"You mean turn invisible?"

"Yeah! That! So, this is going to sound weird but just stay at your house I will be there in a bit. I need to talk to you."

I hung up and nodded to Antonio.

"So we have to go to her house." He said.

"Yep."

"Okay, let's go."

...

"Lovino!" Elizabeta exclaimed.

She was a brunette with light green eyes and pale skin. She appeared light, like a breeze could blow her over, but she was quite the opposite.

"Hey, yeah so, this is Antonio." I said as I gestured to the idiot beside me.

He smiled and waved.

"Hola señorita!" He said.

"So why are you here?" She asked.

"We want you to be a superhero!" Antonio replied.

"What? Like legit?"

"Legit."

"Yeah! Let's do it!"

"Wait, seriously?" I asked.

"Yeah!" She replied.

"That was too easy."

"Wait, Lovino what can you do? I thought you didn't have powers, at least not when we were kids."

I held up my hand and ignited the fire.

"Whoa." Elizabeta said.

"Yeah." I replied.

"Well what are we waiting for! Let's go be superheroes!" Elizabeta exclaimed.

...

"We need one more person" Antonio said once we had gotten back to Area 48.

Elizabeta was busy examining every part of the building.

"Don't look at me, I don't know every person with a weird power." I said.

"Guys, why don't we use the internet!" Elizabeta said.

...

I laid my head down on the key board. Searching for a superhero via internet was harder than it looked. A lot of it was fake.

"Hey guys, look at this. He seems legit." Antonio said.

I rolled my chair over to his computer and rested my head on his shoulder, not thinking about what I was doing. On his screen was a video of a guy single handedly destroying pictonians. It looked like dark magic, but that usually required an incantation and he wasn't using one. Dark stuff just flowed from his hands and controlled pictonians and other objects.

"We should ask him." Elizabeta said.

"No dip Sherlock." I retorted.

"I think I can get him here by tomorrow." Antonio said.

"How?" I asked.

"I have my ways." Antonio smiled before leaving the room.

I just shrugged my shoulders at Elizabeta's inquiring look.


	3. Chapter 3

I sat up sleepily, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. As I stretched, a voice came on the intercom, that is apparently connected to my room.

"LOVINO GET UP NOW AND MEET ME AT THE CONTROL ROOM!" Screeched the voice.

I scrunched up my face and rubbed my now sore ears. Why did that thing have to be so loud? Without thinking I left my room and went to the bathroom down the hall. I brushed my teeth and hair. Before I left, I washed my face quickly and went back to my room.

"Put some clothes on Lovino!" Elizabeta said as I was halfway back.

"I am wearing clothes stupid." I replied.

I was wearing boxers and a T-shirt. That was enough covering for a trip to the bathroom. I walked into my room and pulled on some pants and a new shirt. I put my shoes and walked out of the room. When I was approaching the control room, I could see Antonio pacing back and forth outside it.

"What are you doing?" I asked when I got to him.

"Where were you?!" He replied.

"Getting ready."

"Couldn't you have done it faster?"

"No."

Antonio let out an exasperated sigh as Elizabeta walked up.

"What's up? Why did you wake us up?" She asked.

"I found the guy from the video. He's in the detainment room." Antonio said.

"What the hell are we waiting for? Let's go see him!" I exclaimed.

Antonio nodded and turned. Elizabeta and I followed him down the hallway until we reached a room labeled "Detainment." Antonio opened the door and we walked in. The man sitting in the room had shaggy, light brown hair, red eyes, pale skin, and a fang on the left side of his mouth.

"Why am I here?" He asked.

"Hi. I'm Antonio. And they are Elizabeta and Lovino. What's your name?" Antonio asked.

"Vladimir." He replied. "Why am I here?"

"We're getting to that chill out!" Elizabeta said.

"Is it a crime to want to know why I was kidnapped and brought to this god awful place?" Vladimir snapped back.

"Now I think you two should calm down." Antonio said but the two kept fighting.

I sat back and watched for a little bit before I decided that I had enough.

"Shut up!" I screamed as I threw a fire ball in the general direction of everyone in the room. It was effective in shutting everyone up, but now Vladimir was looking at me with an odd expression.

"What?" I asked him.

"You can do it too!" He exclaimed.

I just rolled my eyes.

"Now, Vladimir, you here because you have a talent and we would like you to join our team." Antonio said.

"What team?" He asked.

"It's a superhero team that is going to save the world from various threats. So, you want to join?"

"I don't know. That sounds like a big commitment, right?"

"Yeah but you're going to save the world!" Antonio threw his arms out.

I rolled my eyes. This isn't working.

"Why don't you come to a training session?" I asked.

"Okay, I guess that couldn't hurt." Vladimir replied.

Elizabeta rolled her eyes. What was up with her? I've never seen her so aggravated before.

Antonio lead us down the hallway to where I suppose we would be training. I hung back and grabbed Elizabeta by the arm.

"What the hell was that?" I hissed.

"I don't have a good feeling about this guy. He gets on my nerves so bad!" she replied.

"Well get over it cause we kinda need him for this team."

I caught up with Antonio and Vladimir just as we stopped in front of a door. Antonio slid an I.D. card across a pad next to the door, and it slid open. We walked into a large room. At one end there was your typical gym equipment. The other end was empty, probably so it could be set up for special training.

"There's a locker room over there," Antonio pointed to a door across the massive room to a door, "Get changed."

We walked over to the door and walked into the locker room. There was four dressing rooms, three with our names on them, and one with Antonio's name. We each walked into our designated room. Inside there was a dresser and a mirror. I pulled out a drawer and found orange shirts, all with "Area 48" printed across the back. I pulled out one and set it on top of the dresser. I pulled out a second drawer and found black gym shorts, "Area 48" printed across the left leg. I pulled out a pair of shorts and began to change. When I was ready I stepped out of the dressing room.

Elizabeta and Vladimir seemed to be engaged in a glare war. I thought I was good at glaring, but nothing could compare to the death stares these two were giving each other. Both were dressed in the same clothes as I, but Elizabeta had a green shirt and Vladimir had a Raven colored shirt.

"We should probably go." I said.

Elizabeta broke her glare with a roll of her eyes and turned to leave. Vladimir stuck his tongue out at her while her back was turned. He huffed and walked out.

"Jesus." I said to myself as I followed the other two.

When all of us had reached Antonio, he began explaining our training for today.

"For the session before lunch we are going to work on the basics. Strength, agility, and combat. Any normal human could learn this so it should be easy for you all. After lunch we are going to do specialized training." he said as he walked over to the gym equipment, the three of us following him.

"To warm up we are going to run a mile. If you walk, all of you will do it again." Antonio said. "Now go!"

We all started running around the outside of the room. We weren't really sure how much a mile was, but no one wanted to ask Antonio. That guy got legitimately scary when training started.

Two laps later and we were told to stop. Antonio put bracelets on us, and the a T.V. screen by the gym equipment lit up. It displayed our vital signs.

"Alright. Stretch out what you need and we'll get started." Antonio said.

During the time I was stretching, I hoped that this training wouldn't suck, but as usual, I was wrong. Sure, he said that we could do it without any problem, but I think he was lying. We started out with strength. We started out easy with planks and ab workouts, but then it got harder. Then we were doing five sets of twenty pull-ups, three times with a different type of pull-up each. Then it was two sets of fifty push-ups. Next was one hundred squats and after one hundred squat we did agility. We did short sprints, sprints with cuts, and ladders. Finally we had combat. Antonio went through a brief lesson on how to fight, and then we practiced punching and kicking on a punching bag. After that we fought each other. I had never seen a more heated fight then the one when Vladimir and Elizabeta were paired against each other. Antonio pulled them apart. Both were bleeding and had bruises forming. So did I, but not as bad as those two.

At last it was lunch, and I was stuck in the uncomfortable position of eating with Antonio, just Antonio. Elizabeta and Vladimir had to go to the infirmary because of their fight. Those two are ridiculous. Whatever they have against each other, they need to get over it.

I tried to put food in my mouth, but winced in pain as my arms screamed against the movement.

"Lovi, are you okay?" Antonio asked.

"Yeah I'm fine, just sore." I replied.

I looked down at my food and tried my best to finish it without causing myself too much pain. I snuck glances at Antonio. His green eyes sparkled without him even trying and it killed me on the inside. I had no idea why and I'm not sure I liked it.

I heard loud voices outside and I think I had an idea of who was coming. Sure enough, Vladimir and Elizabeta walked in the room, fighting as usual. I couldn't take it any more.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" I screamed, feeling myself burst into flames.

I turned to face them and both were silent, eyes wide in shock.

"YOU BOTH ARE GOING TO BE ON THE SAME TEAM WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT SO GET THE FUCK ALONG! IF YOU DON'T I WILL TURN YOU BOTH INTO HUMAN KABOBS AND FEED YOU TO THE PICTORIANS!" I yelled.

"But I never agreed to be on the team." Vladimir said.

"YOU DON'T HAVE ANY FUCKING CHOICE ANYMORE. YOU HAVE LOST YOUR PRIVILEGES."

Elizabeta snickered and I threw a fireball at her, scorching her should. She hissed in pain, but didn't yell at me.

I returned to normal and began to leave.

"Lovi, you still have to finish lunch!" Antonio called.

"Not hungry." I replied and left the room.

I heard footsteps behind me.

"Lovino! I'm sorry!" Elizabeta called.

I turned to face her.

"Don't say sorry to me. Say sorry to the guy who you've been bullying ever since he got here." I replied sharply.

I walked away, leaving her there dumbfounded. I walked to the training room and was glad to find the door open. Just as I walked in, I felt the room spin and I fell down. I really should have finished my lunch. I don't feel well at all.

I stood back up, took a deep breath, and walked over to a bench press. I sat down and tried to feel better. If I got through the specialized training session I could go and sleep. I just had to get through it.

The others walked through the door shortly and I stood up. This time we were at the empty end of the room.

"Each of you will complete a set of instructions that will help you train your specific power." Antonio explained.

Elizabeta went first. She had several boards set up. She turned invisible at each one and made herself completely camouflaged. Vladimir was given a set of targets that he had to destroy. Then he was given a set of pictures and he made them come into reality and then made them disappear.

"So can create illusions too." I said to myself.

Next up was my turn. I, too, was given a set of targets that I destroyed easily. Then I was escorted into a metal box. I had to get as hot as I could, so I did. I kept going and going, never really feeling that I had a limit. Soon, I felt my flames go out. I wiped foam off my face and sat up. The box I was in was destroyed and everyone looked at me with quizzical looks.

"What happened?" I asked.

"You got to hot. Destroy the world hot." Antonio said.

I nodded, surprised that I could do that.

"Well, that's all for today. Starting tomorrow, I will train with you guys." Antonio said.

Everyone started to leave. I got up, but quickly went down again. My vision was getting blurry and I could barely hear Antonio screaming "Lovi!" in the distance before I passed out.


	4. Chapter 4

There was so much fire, and a burning sensation. All I could see was the flames lapping at my skin.

"HELP!" I screamed.

I struggled, but it only made it worse. I heard someone in the distance.

"Lovi!" the voice said.

"Antonio? Help me!" I screamed.

There was no response. He left me. Why would he do that? I was stupid to trust him. The pain now wasn't only from the fire.

...

"Lovi, wake up!" Antonio yelled as I opened my eyes.

He was leaning over me, worry evident in his green eyes. For some reason, relief washed over me. He was still here. He didn't leave. Suddenly, I was aware that Antonio was inches from my face, awaiting a response. I blushed as I said "Get off me bastard." He managed to get away before my flames burned him again. I sat up and looked around. I was in the room that I had woken up in when I first got here. Elizabeta and Vladimir were standing in a corner, their heads down. I glared at them.

"Lovi, you're okay!" Antonio said, as he dared to wrap me in a hug.

"Get off!" I said half-heartidly, as I began to blush again.

The doctor from the day I got here walked in the room and looked at me and Antonio.

"I see you two have gotten close." he said as he walked over to the monitor I was hooked up to.

I stuck my tongue out at him and Antonio silently laughed.

"Do you understand why you passed out, Mr. Vargas?" the doctor asked.

"Um, I didn't eat lunch." I replied, Antonio still attached to my body.

"Well that could add. You also used too much of your power. When you reach temperatures that you reached, it takes a toll on your body. If you don't reach such high temperatures, you should be fine and can use your power as much as you want without too much repercussions."

"Okay. Can you leave now?"

The doctor looked sideways at me while he finished writing down my vitals. He let out a sigh and left. I looked to Antonio hanging off my shoulder and glared at him. He remembered he was still hanging on to me and immediately let go.

"Lovino, I'm sorry." Vladimir said, breaking the silence.

"What are you saying sorry to me for, say sorry to her." I replied.

"We already did." Elizabeta said.

"So then its over. We're a team now, all be it a team of oddballs, but none the less a team. Start acting like one."

"Wow, Lovi! So inspirational!" Antonio said.

"Shut up."

...

I was a loud to go back to my room that day. Training was over for the day so we had some free time. As of now, I lay on my bed, doing nothing. I heard a knock on my door and turned to see Elizabeta poking her head in through the window. I rolled off my bed and opened the door. Vladimir was standing next to her, looking a tad bit irritated.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Lovi, lets explore!" she exclaimed.

"Okay." I said.

"Wait, really?!"

"Yeah."

"I thought that was going to take more work."

I smiled as I walked out of my room and closed the door. The three of us walked down the hallway.

"Lets check out the control room first." Elizabeta whispered.

I nodded and we walked in that direction. For some reason, we felt the need to be stealthy and hid behind the wall.

"Okay, I'll turn invisible and see what's going on. You guys give me back up if I'm found out."

Vladimir and I nodded as she turned invisible. There was no point in trying to watch since we couldn't see her anyways. We sat there for ten minuets before Elizabeta reappeared in front of us. She looked pale.

"You okay?" I asked.

"We can't talk here." she said.

We followed her down the hallway and back to our rooms. She walked into her room and we cautiously followed. She closed the door and locked it. Then she looked around the room for something, but we didn't know what.

"I think we're safe here. I know why we have to be in this team." she said.

"Why?" Vladimir asked.

"You know those guys Antonio killed? His own team."

"How did you know about that?" I asked.

"He did what?!" Vladimir exclaimed.

"Relax, it was accidental, and I did my research. Anyways, one of them isn't dead. He's just extremely screwed up in the head from Antonio's crazy telepathy to mention, he hasn't taken it lightly." Elizabeta said.


	5. Chapter 5

I looked at Elizabeta in shock.

"One survived?" I asked, my voice slightly high pitched.

"Oh yeah. He hasn't been a threat because he's been locked up in an asylum for the past years, but he's managed to escape. No one's heard from him since, but they are expecting an attack at any time. They suspect he will want revenge." Elizabeta said.

"Suspect? I don't think that they would drag us in here and try to train us under a suspicion. Are you sure you got the right info?" Vladimir asked.

"I'm just repeating what I saw!" Elizabeta countered.

"This whole thing smells fishy to me." Vladimir said.

"Maybe Antonio knows something." I interjected.

"Probably not. Even if he did, he's been in this place far longer than us and if it's so secretive, then he probably is too." Vladimir said.

"He's part of the team. We have to include him, wether he knows anything or not." I stated.

"I'm with Lovino on this one." Elizabeta said.

"Fine." Vladimir groaned.

I turned from the group and walked back to where our rooms were. I passed mine and walked to Antonio's. I peeked inside the window. He was lounging on his bed, his chocolate locks falling in his eyes as he read a book. His green orbs moved back and forth, following every word. I noticed that I had been standing there for an extended period of time. I looked back to find Elizabeta and Vladimir looking at me.

"You okay?" Elizabeta asked.

"I'm fine." I grumbled. "Let me talk to him alone."

The two nodded their heads and stepped back so they were out of sight. I knocked on the door and opened it slightly. Antonio's head snapped up at the sound. When he saw my face he broke out into large grin, showing off his white teeth.

"Lovi! What brings you here?" he asked, placing a bookmark in his book and closing it.

"Hey Antonio, we need to talk." I said, quietly closing the door behind me.

Antonio scooted over and patted the spot next to him. I sat down and took a deep breath.

"You have to be totally honest with me okay?"

Antonio's face turned serious and he said "Okay."

"Do you know? I mean, do you know that one of your friends survived your attack?" I asked, my voice getting softer as I finished.

Antonio sighed. I looked up.

"Antonio?" I asked.

"Yeah. I knew. I've always known. What I did to him, Gilbert that is." Antonio replied.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, anger rising up in my voice.

"Lovi-"

"Don't Lovi me. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't want you to hate me. It was bad enough that I killed one friend, and now the other will suffer for the rest of his life. I didn't want you to hate me because of it."

"You dumbass. We're a team. All of us and you have to be able to trust us. We won't hate you." I said.

Before I could think, Antonio had wrapped me in a hug.

"Hey, bastard, get off!" I said, pushing him away.

"Thanks you." he said.

I stopped pushing and let him fall back on me. After a moment, I said "Hey asshole, why don't you tell the others about this, and everything else that you know." I said.

He just smiled and stood up. I followed him out to room to where the other two were.

"We can't talk here. Follow me." Antonio said.

He started walking down that hallway and we all followed him. He walked into the bathroom.

"What are we doing in here?" I asked.

Antonio just walked into a stall marked "out of order" and pushed the flusher. The toilet began to sink into the floor, revealing a secret passage way.

"Cool!" Elizabeta squealed.

"How the fuck did you swing this?" I asked.

"You guys can't tell anyone here. Back when I first got here Francis, Gilbert, and I made it as a way to get away. I've improved it over the years but it hasn't been of too much use." Antonio said.

"Why is it in the bathroom?" Vladimir asked.

"This is the place wear no one from Area 48 goes. It's just us. They don't come down here unless they need us and it's the only place without security cameras." Antonio replied.

"You're smarter than I thought." I said.

Antonio just pouted in response. He then turned and walked into the hole in the wall. The rest of us followed. The toilet came back up behind us. After a couple of steps, we stumbled into a room lit only with fake candles, the kind that use batteries. There was a giant rug on the floor and multiple bean bags. In the middle was a table that was low to the ground. It looked like a middle eastern house combined with that of a teenage boy's room.

Elizabeta flopped down on one of the beanbags and said "This place is awesome!"

The rest of us sat on a bean bag as Antonio said "Glad you think so."

"Alright, so what's going on?" Vladimir asked.

"As you have seemed to figure out, Gilbert, my old teammate, survived my meltdown. He was in an asylum and he did break out. That much you know?" Antonio asked.

We all nodded.

"Well, I've been trying to track him via mind power, and haven't had much luck. However, I managed to find him once. He is not who he used to be. He used to be free caring and fun. Now, he is overrun with rage and hate, which is reasonable. He's out for revenge, and he's not just coming for me, but all of Area 48. You wouldn't be here unless there was a threat to National Security." Antonio said.

"When were they planning on telling us this?" Vladimir asked.

"Whenever Gilbert showed up, or when they felt you were ready. Which ever came first."

"Thats comforting."

"What are we supposed to do now? We don't know when he is coming." Elizabeta said.

"We train. We have to be as ready as possible for when he does. I'm still trying to track him, but as I said it's not going well." Antonio said.

Suddenly, a bell rang.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Relax. It's just the diner bell. We should go." Antonio said.

We all got up. Vladimir and Elizabeta walked out ahead of Antonio and I.

"Antonio, are you alright?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I've gotten used to living with what I've done and being calm about it. Thanks Lovi." Antonio said, rustling my hair before walking down the passageway.


	6. Chapter 6

I turned in my bed, the sheets crumpling with every movement. I turned again. I pulled the sheets over my head and squeezed my eyes shut tightly, and then opened them when that did absolutely nothing. I threw the sheets off of my head and kicked my feet, forcing them off of my body all together. I sat up and threw my head back, emitting an exasperated groan. I rubbed my temples, trying to relax myself.

The days events played back in my head and formed images behind my eyes when I closed them. We were going to have to actually use our powers in battle. Sure, I knew that there was a reason that I was dragged in here and a team was made, but I had never considered the possibility of fighting some one. In actuality, I probably knew but I just didn't want to think about it, so I pushed it into the recesses of my mind and buried it so its screams were inaudible.

After about thirty more minuets of consciousness, I decided that sitting here wasn't going to do anything for me. I slipped out of bed, my bare feet creating a soft padding sound on the hard ground. I silently opened the door and tip toed down the hallway towards the dining hall. Maybe they had a late night snack menu there.

I reached the doors, the windows showing nothing but black. I grasped the handle and tried to pull them, but they stopped after a half of an inch of movement.

"Damn." I whispered to myself.

"Can't sleep?"

I whipped around to fins Antonio standing in front of me, hair mused and eyes bleary with sleep.

"What are you doing?" I hissed.

"Bro, its hard to sleep when you're making animal noises all night. I'm surprised you didn't wake up Elizabeta and Vladimir across the hall."

I blushed and looked at the floor.

"Bastard," was the only thing I could throw back at him.

Antonio chuckled and stepped closer to me.

"Come with me." Antonio said, grabbing my hand and pulling me to the left of the dining room door.

"Where are we going?!" I asked.

"The dining room." Antonio replied, stopping me in front of what looked like a vent.

"Oh no. I am not climbing through a vent. I can just wait until morning." I said, stepping back.

"Silly! This isn't a vent." Antonio said as he pulled the grate back, revealing a hole in the wall that led right to the kitchen.

Antonio climbed through it, whispering "Come on!"

I got down on all fours and climbed through the sizable hole. Antonio pulled the grate back up behind me.

"What does Señor Lovi desire tonight?" Antonio asked, trying his best to sound like a waiter.

I laughed and said "Hot chocolate would be great."

"Coming right up!" Anotnio exclaimed.

Antonio pranced around the kitchen for a solid five minuets, performing a disco dance while preparing the hot water and a sad attempt at a grande allegro as his mode of transportation to get the hot chocolate mix.

I could't help but smile at the weirdo as he placed a steaming mug in front of me.

"Grazi." I said, taking a sip.

"Hey Antonio," I said in between sips.

"Hmm?" He replied.

"Have you been here your entire life?"

Antonio's eyes glossed over and his usual smile faded slightly.

"Not my entire life." he said, "Only when the government learned of my powers. After that, I've basically spent most of my time here."

"Most?" I asked.

"I get to see my family outside of this place."

"Tell me about them."

"I have two parents. I was an only child, but I still miss all of my little cousins."

The light reflected in Antonio's eyes as he gazed somewhere past me. I pushed his arm.

"I'll have to meet them one day." I said.

Antonio looked at me and his eyes widened, his trademark grin spreading across his face. I smiled back, and for the first time was able to forget about all of the crazy shit that's happened. I felt... happy.

However, that was temporary. Soon red lights flashed and a blow horn blared on the speaker system. Antonio's smile completely faded and he grabbed my hand, pushing me out of the hole and into the hallway. Antonio put the grate back and ran down the hallway, dragging me behind him. He shoved me in my room.

"Stay here!" he yelled over the horn, slamming the door behind me.

I ran to the door and attempted to open it, but it had automatically locked behind me. I looked through my window, and could see Elizabeta and Vladimir peering out of theirs, apparently in the same situation as me.

"What the fuck is going on?!" I screamed, the sound lost in the racket.


End file.
